After struggling to score since arriving in the Premier League, Kai Havertz (24-Arsenal) has flourished under Mikel Arteta (42-Spain). After a multi-goal performance against his former club Chelsea, he finally redeemed himself by reaching double figures in the Premier League for the first time. His performance kept Arsenal in contention for the league title.
The 24-year-old was in fine form with a multi-goal performance in the 29th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) season against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, at 4 a.m. ET. Behind a goal storm, including two from Haberz, the Gunners demolished their London rivals 5-0.
Arsenal’s demolition of Chelsea made the Premier League title race even more exciting. Leandro Trosar (29) scored in the fourth minute of the first half to give Arsenal the lead, but the Gunners really came into their own in the second half. Ben White (26) added a second goal seven minutes into the second half, before Haberts added a third 12 minutes later. White and Haberz then added one more goal each to get back on the score sheet.
The brightest spot in the attacking line was Haberz. After a quiet first half, he picked up his game in the second half and led the way in breaking down Chelsea, especially after scoring his team’s third goal, which he celebrated with his trademark “Merong Ceremony,” a nod to the Chelsea fans who had supported him in the past.
Haberz was replaced by Gabriel Jesus, 26, in the 27th minute of the second half after scoring two goals, creating four shots on target, two chances and four successful contests against Chelsea. Football stats outlet Footmob praised his performance, giving him a 9 rating. His rating of 9 was the second highest behind White’s 9.3, who also scored multiple goals, and Martin Ødegaard (25), who added two assists.
With his two goals, Haberz reached double figures in the league for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Playing for Leverkusen at the time, Haberth scored 12 goals in the German Bundesliga to boost his stock, and he moved to Chelsea for a hefty transfer fee at the end of the season. However, his time at Chelsea was a disappointment, as he only 스포츠토토 scored 32 goals in 139 games. He scored the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), but otherwise didn’t do much else.
In the end, Chelsea were happy to accept a €75 million bid from Arsenal for the player last summer. Arteta had high hopes for Haberth and was confident that he had assembled a solid squad. However, Arteta and the fans had different reactions. Fans criticized Arteta’s decision, claiming that he had overpaid for a player who had nothing to show for his time at Chelsea.
It looked like Arteta’s decision was a failure when he only managed one goal and one assist in the first 19 games of the season. He looked out of place in both the central midfield and striker roles, struggling to find his place in the team. It wasn’t until February that he finally found his feet in Arteta’s team. Since then, he’s been on a roll, amassing seven goals and four assists in 16 games. His movement up front has become more assertive and his decisiveness has peaked.
Arteta’s hard work has paid off, and he praised Haberz. “His contribution in all phases of the game was tremendous,” Arteta told the BBC after the game. He scored multiple goals and linked up with his teammates at crucial moments. It was a great performance,” he said, giving him a thumbs-up.